Claim: A video shows Hamas supporters in Brussels protesting over Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination.
Fact: The video is from October 2022 when pro-Palestinian groups protested in Brussels to show support for Palestinians’ right to freedom.
On 2 August, X user @visegrad24 posted (archive) a video which showed protests in Brussels after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. The caption said: “Supporters of the Islamist terrorist group Hamas screaming out their anger over their leader Ismail Haniyeh’s death. Video recorded in Brussels, Belgium.”
Ismail Haniyeh was a senior Hamas leader involved in negotiations that were aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing war in Gaza. On 31 July, Haniyeh was killed by a bomb planted at the guest house he was staying at in Iran. Later reports said that a projectile targeted the guest house. While the Iranian government and Hamas officials held Israel responsible for carrying out this high-profile assassination, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the video and found articles by various publications, from as early as October 2022, that included screen grabs from it.
EU Reporter’s article “Pro-Hamas demonstration in Brussels arouses indignation” from November 2022 carries a cover photo of protestors, some of whom have covered their faces and heads with keffiyehs, matching the first three seconds of keyframes from the video in the claim.
In October 2022, pro-Palestinian groups protested in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, in support of the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation. “Palestinians, Arabs, Internationalists for a FREE PALESTINE, from the river to the sea,” said one banner carried by the demonstrators.
The first seven seconds of a video report from October 2022, titled, “Pro-Hamas demonstration in Brussels sparks outrage: ‘Disgusting and revolting’” and published by 7sur7.be, a Belgian news website, matches the video in the claim. Another article, titled, “Pro-Hamas demonstration in Brussels arouses indignation” also carried a video, the first three seconds of which match scenes from the clip shared in the claim.
Soch Fact Check also found images of the white banner held by protestors, visible at the 0:06 mark of the video, included in reports about the same protests published on 29 October 2022 and 30 October 2022.
Soch Fact Check could not confirm if the protests in Brussels were pro-Hamas. However, banners held by protestors show they were to support the Palestinians’ right to freedom. Moreover, this fact-check only aims to show the video in the claim is not recent and not linked with Haniyeh’s death.
Virality
The original X post was viewed 158,000 times and liked at least 2800 times.
It was also shared on X here, here, and here.
The same video also appeared with different claims here, here, here, here,here, here.
Conclusion: The video is neither recent nor does it show protests in Belgium over Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination. It is from 2022 when pro-Palestinian groups in Brussels marched to the European Parliament to show their support for Palestinians’ right to freedom.
Background image in cover photo: France 24
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